Guest blogger and THIRDHOME member Lawrence Grossman, recently returned from an exclusive Inner Circle trip down the Amazon River, while on the maiden voyage of the Zafiro, a luxury river cruise ship. This trip was made possible by International Expeditions, an industry leader in adventure and travel partner of THIRDHOME.
Check out Lawrence’s Amazon adventure below:
There it was scribbled on our daily schedule: “15:30 Fishing for Piranha.”
It was our second day of exploring the Amazon River on our Peruvian Amazon Voyage and the highlight was certainly going to be fishing for a 5-inch long carnivorous fish whose mouth is filled with razor-sharp teeth. Obviously, the trip planners had never seen the “River Monsters” Piranha episode (2009) or the 2010 campy horror movie “Piranha 3D” prior to arranging this outing. Our bait for this fishing expedition was small chunks of raw steak and we were cautioned to let our guides take the fish off the hook lest we risk losing a finger. 2 hours later we survived with all digits intact and a combined haul of over 35 piranhas were caught and released. Our guides informed us that piranhas don’t feast on humans, but rather insects, worms, crustaceans, and unfortunate small birds or reptiles who linger too long in the Amazon water.
Our Inner Circle Voyage was hosted by THIRDHOME Founder and CEO, Wade Shealy and Senior Vice President of Business Development, Roger Conner and took place aboard the elegant M/V Zafiro Riverboat. For starters, the Zafiro (Spanish for sapphire) was the perfect vessel to cruise down the Amazon River and its tributaries in Peru. With wall to wall panoramic windows, spacious cabins and large public areas inside and out, the boat was comfortable and luxurious. The Zafiro even included a small massage room, an outdoor jacuzzi and an exercise room. With a crew of 22 members outnumbering the 16 guests, we were truly spoiled for 4 days.
What I didn’t expect was some of the tastiest cuisines I’ve ever experienced termed “Amazon Fusion.”
Included were Amazonian fruits such as aguaje and carambola, Peruvian tamales and ceviche that rivals the best Mexico has to offer. There were also scrumptious dinner entrees with quinoa, chili peppers and sweet potatoes. Every meal was a culinary delight and was coupled with Peru’s Cusquena beer and their national cocktail, the Pisco sour.
Probably our most “decadent spoiled guest” moment was when our guides served us champagne on the skiffs while we sat and watched the sun set over the Amazon horizon.
When we weren’t eating and drinking we were out exploring in the 3 skiffs attached to the Zafiro.
You want wildlife? Here’s an abbreviated list of our best sightings while breezing through the Amazon:
Pink (yes pink!) river dolphins
Macaws
Monkeys
Toucans
Hawks
Vultures
Sloths
Cayman alligators
Arguably the most rewarding and difficult sighting of all was the largest rodent in the world, the Capybara, a pig-shaped distant relative of the guinea pig. The Capybara has a face like a beaver, no tail and can weigh up to 175 pounds. That was a big “rat” we watched scurry into the jungle at night.
There were several highlights that made this trip unforgettable including:
1. Our visit to a local Amazonian village where the students sang to us, the Shaman healed us, and the village president welcomed us.
2. Our ride in the tik-tuks (3-wheeled motorized rickshaws) through the town of Iquitos on our way to the animal preserve.
3. The final night on the Zafiro when we were serenaded by our Peruvian band and ended up dancing the night away to melodic music we had never heard before, and very likely, will never have the pleasure of hearing again.
4. Exploring the river at night in our skiffs with more stars in the sky than seemed possible and experiencing close encounters with the Black Cayman Alligator.
I can’t say enough about the warmth, kind spirit and customer service of the entire Zafiro crew and International Expeditions’ staff members throughout the trip. The guides were so knowledgeable and informative about the Amazon Rainforest and the service staff on the boat were professional and helpful in every situation. It is simply impossible to have a better “people experience” than our THIRDHOME group had on this wonderful trip. Special thanks to Liz Bates from THIRDHOME for her organizational prowess and willingness to answer every dumb question I had prior to embarking. Now that this bucket list item is behind me please sign me up for the next Inner Circle adventure!
THIRDHOME’s Inner Circle program allows members (in the Chairman’s Club Preferred tier and higher) to travel with other members on exclusive group trips around the world. Be sure to contact Travel & Concierge Director, Liz Bates for information regarding The Inner Circle Member Appreciation Event on April 27th and 28th, 2018. If you are interested in upgrading to Chairman’s Club Preferred and accessing the benefits of a higher tier of membership, including future Inner Circle events, please contact Member Services.
Guest blogger and THIRDHOME member Lawrence Grossman shares his must-do activities in San Francisco. He just came back from a trip to San Francisco in which he stayed at a Ritz-Carlton Destination Club residence through his THIRDHOME membership.
They had me at the 24-hour-a-day cookie box! Located in the lobby of the Ritz Carlton Destination Club in San Francisco was a wooden box filled with 5 kinds of fresh baked cookies. Our friendly concierge Mark gave us our welcome cookie and explained that humidors were not just for cigars anymore, but were the perfect holding tank for cookies. He then sent us up to the swanky 12th floor guest lounge for a complimentary California wine tasting. Following our tasting, we entered our 2-bedroom residence and found a bottle of sparkling wine to assist us in celebrating my friend’s birthday. In 45 years of vacationing I can’t remember a better opening hour. It was shaping up to be a really good week in San Francisco.
This was my second stay at a Ritz-Carlton Destination Club residence through THIRDHOME and like my stay in St. Thomas, the customer service was unmatched. Our residence had everything necessary to really relax and be comfortable after a day of sightseeing. The location in downtown San Francisco was perfect: It was an easy walk to numerous restaurants and 3 blocks from Trader Joes allowing us to stock up on food and adult beverages. They even had a state of the art exercise facility to work off some of the Ghirardelli chocolate calories we packed on all week. Additionally, the staff were extremely helpful in sharing dining and transportation options.
This Ritz-Carlton Destination Club residence was the perfect base for exploring all that San Francisco has to offer. In a 1999 Special Edition, National Geographic Traveler named “50 Places of A Lifetime” to visit and explore. Included were 10 cities, only 2 of which are located in the US: New York and San Francisco. There’s a good reason San Francisco made the list and we were determined to fully understand and appreciate this choice before our week ended. Of course we “cable carred” on the Powell-Hyde Line, we “Fisherman Wharfed” at Pier 39 and we “Anchor Steam Beered” at the Anchor Brewery, all of which were iconic picture-perfect experiences. We biked through Golden Gate Park, toured the Castro district and experienced Haight Ashbury during the 50th anniversary of the “Summer of Love”. We biked to a San Francisco Giants baseball game and took our picture in front of the Willie Mays statue.
But our Top 3 San Francisco activities were our self-guided bicycle tour over the Golden Gate Bridge, our magical walk through Muir Woods and our ferry ride and tour of Alcatraz Island.
1: BICYCLE TOUR OVER THE GOLDEN GATE BRIDGE
Cycling through the Presidio, over the Golden Gate Bridge and coasting downhill to the town of Sausalito was an absolutely exhilarating experience. The views from the top of the bridge of San Francisco were sensational on an unusually clear day for the Bay area. Dozens of people were out enjoying the day walking and biking across the 8,891-foot span of the bridge and most of us stopped at the highest point to take out our cameras and record the experience. After a curvy and scenic downhill ride we ended up in downtown Sausalito, a historic waterfront community with loads of cool shops and waterfront watering holes. The marina featured several houseboats and legend has it that Otis Redding wrote his famous “Sitting on the Dock of the Bay” while living on one of these boats. An unexpected treat suggested by locals was ice cream at Lappert’s ice cream shop featuring giant scoops of Kona Coffee and Kaui Pie in a waffle cone. It was well worth the ride.
2: WALK THROUGH MUIR WOODS
Our second “don’t leave San Francisco without experiencing it” adventure took place 30 minutes north of the city in Muir Woods National Monument. Everyone should experience the mystical nature of hiking underneath a canopy of coastal redwood trees. It is hard to believe this beautiful park is so close and accessible to a major city. The sheer majesty of these giant trees makes one talk in hushed tones and use an indoor voice. We entered the park with our map, water and camera and 3 hours later exited feeling humbled, tired and awed by this magnificent place. The only disappointing thing for me personally was when my friends informed me that Caesar and his ape friends and family from the movie “Rise of the Planet of the Apes” didn’t really live there as portrayed in the movie. They politely suggested I stop calling out Caesar’s name as we strolled through the park. I was gratified to read later that park officials attributed a recent increase in attendance at the park to the movie’s release so I clearly was not alone in my hope to run into the apes.
3: TOUR OF ALCATRAZ ISLAND
Our third great San Francisco adventure was the ferry ride to and the tour of Alcatraz Island. I’m old enough to have seen Clint Eastwood’s “Escape from Alcatraz” and Charlton Heston’s “The Birdman of Alcatraz”, which both spark curiosity to visit the island and walk the grounds. The exceptional self-guided tour of the prison included headphones and narration from former prisoners and guards complete with sound effects and compelling storylines related to prison riots and escape attempts. As the ferry left the dock to return to San Francisco I could picture the 3 escapees entering the Bay on their improvised raft to try to get to the mainland. To this day the fate of these men is unknown adding to the intrigue of Alcatraz.
To summarize the week, National Geographic Traveler had it right, San Francisco is one of the great cities of the world and any traveler who has the opportunity should pay it a visit. Just don’t forget a good pair of walking shoes!
Members, click here to view all THIRDHOME properties in San Francisco.